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Making Hot-Water I With new pump technology, hot-water recirculation is about to get more efficient BY DAVE YATES love potable hot-water recirculation systems, and not just because I sell and install them. By far, the most common reason why customers ask for my company to install recirculation pumps on their domestic hotwater systems is the long wait they have to endure before even a trickle of warm water arrives at their shower or sink. Recirculation eliminates this irritating wait and can save between 8000 and 20,000 gal. of clean drinking and bathing water per household per year. It also avoids sending your money down the drain by lessening water and sewage charges incurred if you are billed based on the gallons used in your home or business. This waste occurs despite mandated limits on showerhead flow—2 gal. per minute (gpm) for WaterSense heads; 2.5 gpm generally—that save on water once you’re in the shower. The lower the flow, in fact, the longer the wait for hot water. The traditional way to eliminate both the wait and the waste has been a mechanical recirculation system, but the pumps these systems rely on— even the more sophisticated pumps that limit recirculation to a few hours a day—incur electrical costs and contribute to heat loss through pipes. In the past year, however, a real drop in the cost of recirculation has become possible with the introduction of pumps powered by electronically commutated 60 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Edward Caldwell. Drawing: Toby Welles.